Boiler-tube cleaner.



F. HERLE.

BOILER TUBE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED 1:30.10, 1913.

1,104,262, Patented July 21,1914.

Jude/Z507 FRANK HERLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

BOILER-TUBE CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 10, 1913. Serial No. 805,700.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HERLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Tube Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to cleaning devices for cleaning tubes, flues and the like, and has for its principal object the provision of a device of this character which will thoroughly and efliciently loosen and remove from the interior of tubes or flues the scale, incrustations, dirt and the. like whichv accumulate therein, another. object being the provision of a cleaner which can be readily adjusted in accordance with the thickness of scale or the like caked on the inside of the tube.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art as the invention is better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

, Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cleaner embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view taken atright angles to the view shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view of the cleaner when positioned in a tube, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 14: of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, reference character 5 indicates the shank of a handle 6 by means of which the cleaner is manipulated, the shank being preferably threadedly connected with the portion 6 of the handle although they may be made integral if preferred. A block 7 loosely embraces the con tracted portion of the shank and is held from movement longitudinally'of the handle in one direction by shoulders 8 and in the opposite direction by a sleeve or ring 9 secured to the handle by a pin 11 or other preferred means. A pair of frames 12 and 13 are pivoted upon the block 7 at 14L and 15, respectively, and normally extend outwardly in parallelism with the axis of the handle.

The cleaning elements in the present instance consist of elongated tools of barrellike shape 18 pivotally connected to the frames by pivot pins 19 and 21 which engage in apertured ears 19 and '21 provided upon the outer faces of the frames 12 and 13 adjacent their outer ends, so that the tools extend laterally from the forward outer edges tions or teeth adapted to cut the incrustation or scale when the cleaner is manipulated, as will be later described. Each tooth extends longitudinally from end to end of the tool and has a continuous cutting edge curved to conform. to the curvature of the tube in which the cleaner is used and reducing in depth from the center of the tool to its ends.

When the cleaner is introduced into ,a tube or flue (as indicated by reference character 24 in Fig. 3'.) and is reciprocated back and forth therein, the tools 18 will rotate by reason of frictional engagement with the incrustation on the walls of the tube or flue, so that the cutting teeth successively enter the incrustation and loosen the scale and dirt adhering to the walls of the tube. By rotating the handle of the cleaner as the cleaner isreciprocated back and forth in the tube the entire internal face of the tube may be thoroughly cleaned.

Since the size of the opening in the tube will vary in proportion with the amount of scale which is collected and will become enlarged as the cleaner is manipulated, I provide means for adjusting my cleaner so that as the incrustation or scale is cut away the cleaner may be expanded to effectively remove the incrustation and scale remaining.

The upper ends of the frames 12 and 13 are beveled off or inclined, as indicated by reference characters 16 and 17 and these ends of the frames are connected by coil contraction springs 22 and 23 which yieldingly draw the upper ends of the frames and the tools toward each other.

Between the frames 12 and 13 is mounted a longitudinally movable adjusting member 26 which is of substantially U-shape, equipped at its upper extremities with laterally projecting studs 27 and 28 which extend laterally between the inclined or beveled portions 16 and 17 of the frames. The base of the adjusting member is tapped to receive the threaded end 29 of the handle shank so that upon rotation of the handle Patented July 21, 1914.

the adjusting member will be adjusted longitudinally of the frames. For the purpose of locking the adjusting member in adjusted position I employ a lock nut 31 threaded onto the handle and adapted to be clamped against the lower face of the adjusting member 26. It will be noted that the studs 27 and 28 positively force the tools apart and hold them in positive instead of yielding engagement with the incrustation or scale to cut into the scale regardless of its hardness.

It will be manifest from the foregoing that I have devised a cleaner which can be reduced in size so as to enter a tube heavily coated With scale and when reciprocated back and forth Will positively cut and loosen the scale. As the scale is removed the tools may be spread apart and rigidly locked as previously explained, and the cuttin-g edges Will loosen and remove all the: scale from the tube.

When a tube to be;

cleaned is very heavily incrusted several adjustments of the tools may be necessary before the tube is thoroughly cleaned.

I claim:

A boiler tube cleaner comprising a ban dle, a block carried thereby, a pair .of oppositely disposed frames pivotally mounted on the block, a pair of rollers revolubly mounted in the frames each of said rollers being of barrel-shaped form adapted to be arranged in a boiler tube transversely of the length of the tube and having curved teeth With continuous cutting edges on its surface, springs connecting the frames, in adjustable member, and stops on said member interposed between said frames vto hold the rollers apart.

FRANK HEBLE.

lVitnesses IRA J. lVnJsoN, FRANKLIN M. WVARDEN.

Copies of this .patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of yaten t s. Washington, D. C. 

